HADIX)N 

AND 

OTHER 

TALES. 


OTHER 


TALES 


Tolstoy 


TOLS 


DUKE 

UNIVERSITY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/esarhaddonothert01tols 


ESARHADDON 


AND  OTHER  TALES 


M 


ESARHADDON 

AND  OTHER  TALES 

/ 

By  LEO  TOLSTOY 

Translated  by 

LOUISE  AND  AYLMER  MAUDE 
with  an 

Introduction  Containing  Letters  by  Tolstoy 

Written  and  translated  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Jews  impoverished  by  riots  in 
Kishinef  and  Gomel 


FUNK  & WAGNALLS  COMPANY 
30  LAFAYETTE  PLACE 
NEW  YORK 
1905 


W-  73- 


Translation,  Copyright,  1903 
By 

FUNK  & WAGNALLS  COMPANY 
New  York 


CONTENTS 

' PAGE 

Introduction, 7 

Preface, 21 

Esarhaddon,  King  of  Assyria,  . . 23 

Work,  Death,  and  Sickness,  . . 41 

Three  Questions, 50 


5 


65949 


INTRODUCTIOM 


Terrible  outbreaks  of  anti- 
Jewish  feeling,  more  or  less 
connived  at  by  the  authori- 
ties, have  led  to  many  Jews  being 
killed  and  many  more  being  left 
destitute,  first  at  Kishinef,  and  later 
on  at  Gomel,  during  the  present 
year. 

The  three  tales,  allegories,  or  leg- 
ends, included  in  this  publication, 
have  been  contributed  by  Tolstoy 
for  the  benefit  of  the  sufferers. 
They  were  intended,  in  the  first 
place,  for  publication  in  a Miscel- 
lany which  was  projected  for  the 

7 


65949 


Introduction 


benefit  of  the  Jewish  sufferers  by  a 
talented  Jewish  writer,  S.N.  Rabin- 
dvitch,  better  known  in  Russia 
under  his  pseudonym  of  Schalem 
Meichem.  In  order,  however,  to 
obtain  as  much  as  possible,  it  was 
subsequently  arranged  to  publish 
them  simultaneously  in  several  lan- 
guages. 

The  following  letters  from  Tol- 
stoy to  S.  N.  Rabindvitch  tell  their 
own  tale: 

“ The  terrible  crime  committed  in 
Kishinef  has  astonished  and  pained 
me.  I have  in  part  expressed  my 
attitude  to  this  shameful  business  in 
a letter  addressed  to  a Jewish  ac- 
quaintance of  mine,  of  which  I en- 


8 


Introduction 


close  a copy.  A few  days  ago  we 
sent  from  Moscow  a collective  letter 
to  the  Mayor  of  Kishinef,  express- 
ing our  feeling  about  this  terrible 
affair. 

“ I shall  be  very  glad  to  contribute 
to  your  Jewish  Miscellany,  and  I 
will  try  to  write  something  suitable 
to  the  circumstances. 

“ U nfortunately,  what  I most  wish 
to  say,  namely,  that  the  guilt — not 
only  of  the  Kishinef  horrors,  but  of 
all  the  discord  apparent  in  a certain 
small  part  (not  the  peasants)  of  the 
Russian  people — lies  solely  with 
the  Government.  But  that  is  just 
what  I may  not  say  in  any  publica- 
tion printed  in  Russia. 

“Ydsnaya  Polyana, 

“6  May,  o.s.,  1903.” 


9 


Introdtiction 


The  following  is  the  letter  to  a 
Jewish  friend  referred  to  in  the  pre- 
ceding: 

“ I have  received  your  letter,  and 
I receive  many  such.  The  writers 
all,  like  you,  demand  of  me  the  ex- 
pression of  an  opinion  about  the 
Kishinef  events.  But  I think  that 
some  misunderstanding  underlies 
these  appeals.  It  is  thought  that 
my  voice  carries  weight,  and  a de- 
mand is  therefore  made  that  I should 
express  my  opinion  about  occur- 
rences so  important,  and  having 
such  complex  causes,  as  this  Kishi- 
nef crime.  The  mistake  lies  in  ex- 
pecting of  me  the  activity  of  a pub- 
licist, whereas  I am  a man  entirely 
occupied  with  one  very  definite 
question,  having  nothing  in  com- 


10 


Introduction 


mon  with  current  events — namely, 
the  question  of  religion  and  its  ap- 
plication to  life.  To  demand  of  me 
a public  expression  of  opinion  on 
contemporary  events,  is  as  unjustifi- 
able as  to  demand  it  of  any  more  or 
less  well-known  specialist.  I may, 
and  do,  utilize  some  event  of  the 
day  to  illustrate  a thought  I may  be 
dealing  with;  but  to  express  opin- 
ions as  a publicist  on  all  contem- 
porary events — even  tho  they  be 
very  important — would  be  impossi- 
ble for  me,  even  if  I considered  it 
desirable  to  do  so.  Were  I to  at- 
tempt it,  I should  have  to  express 
immature  and  commonplace  opin- 
ions, and  to  repeat  what  others  have 
already  said;  then,  obviously,  the 
importance  that  people  attribute  to 
my  opinions,  and  that  makes  them 


II 


Introduction 


direct  their  demands  to  me,  would 
not  exist. 

“As  to  the  Jews  and  the  terrible 
Kishinef  events,  my  relation  to  them 
must,  I think,  be  apparent  to  all 
who  are  interested  in  my  view  of 
life. 

“ My  relation  to  the  Jews  can  not 
be  other  than  as  toward  brothers, 
whom  I love,  not  because  they  are 
Jews,  but  because  we  and  they  are 
all  sons  of  one  father — God;  and 
this  love  needs  no  effort  on  my  part, 
for  I have  met  and  am  acquainted 
with  ver}^  excellent  members  of  the 
Jewish  race. 

“ My  attitude  toward  the  Kishinef 
crime,  also,  is  naturally  defined  by 
my  religious  outlook  on  life.  Even 
before  I had  heard  all  the  terrible 
details  which  I afterward  learned — 


12 


Introduction 


from  the  first  mention  in  the  news- 
papers— I understood  the  horror  of 
what  had  happened,  and  experienced 
the  depressing  and  mixed  feeling  of 
pity  for  the  innocent  victims  of  the 
mob’s  brutality,  consternation  at 
such  brutality  on  the  part  of  people 
supposed  to  be  Christians,  a feeling 
of  aversion  and  loathing  toward  the 
so-called  educated  people  who  in- 
cited the  crowd  and  sympathized 
with  its  conduct,  and,  above  all,  ab- 
horrence of  the  real  culprit  in  the 
whole  matter,  namely,  our  Govern- 
ment, with  its  priesthood  which  stu- 
pefies the  people  and  makes  fanatics 
of  them,  and  its  robber  band  of  offi- 
cials. The  Kishinef  crime  is  merely 
a direct  consequence  of  the  propa- 
ganda of  lies  and  violence  carried 
on  with  such  intensity  and  such  in- 


13 


Introduction 


sistence  by  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment. 

“ The  attitude  of  the  Government 
to  this  event  is  only  a fresh  proof  of 
its  coarse  egotism,  which  does  not 
stop  at  any  cruelties  when  repress- 
ing a movement  it  thinks  danger- 
ous; and  of  its  complete  indiffer- 
ence (comparable  to  the  indifference 
of  the  Turkish  Government  to  the 
Armenian  massacres)  to  the  most 
terrible  cruelties,  so  long  as  its  own 
interests  are  not  involved. 

“ That  is  all  I could  say  about  the 
Kishinef  affair,  and  I have  said  it 
all  long  ago. 

“ If  you  ask  me,  further:  How  I 
think  the  Jews  should  act.?  my  reply 
is  again  one  which  flows  naturally 
from  that  Christian  teaching  which 
I try  to  understand  and  to  follow. 


14 


Introduction 


“ The  Jews,  like  all  men,  need  but  \ 
one  thing  for  their  welfare:  to  fol-  \ 
low  in  life,  to  the  greatest  possible  \ 
extent,  the  universal  rule  of  doing  i 
to  others  as  you  wish  them  to  do  to 
you ; and  to  resist  the  Government, 
not  by  violence  (that  method  should 
be  abandoned  to  the  Government), 
but  by  a good  life,  excluding  not 
only  all  violence  toward  one’s  neigh- 
bor, but  all  participation  in  violence, 
and  all  utilization  for  one’s  own  ad-^ 
vantage  of  the  organs  of  violence  in- 
stituted by  Government. 

“ That  is  all — and  it  is  very  old 
and  well  known — that  I have  to  say 
about  the  terrible  Kishinef  occur- 
rences. 

“Yasnaya  Polyana, 

“ 27  April,  O.S.,  1903.” 


IS 


Introduction 


The  next  is  again  a letter  to  the 
editor  of  the  Miscellany: 

“ I send  you  Three  Tales,  to  be 
translated  into  Yiddish  and  printed 
in  the  Jewish  Miscellany  which 
you  are  publishing  to  aid  the  Jews 
who  suffered  in  Kishinef. 

“ I shall  be  very  pleased  if  these 
tales  at  all  help  the  success  of  that 
publication. 

“ With  much  respect,  and  every 
wish  to  aid. 

“Yasnaya  Polyana, 

“20  August,  O.S.,  1903.” 

The  following  is  part  of  another 
letter  from  Tolstoy  to  the  same 
editor: 

“ I am  of  course  very  pleased  that 
non-Jewish  editions  should  in  any 

x6 


Introduction 


degree  increase  the  help  obtainable 
for  the  sufferers.  But  I can  not 
depart  from  the  rule  I have  laid 
down  for  myself  once  for  all,  namely, 
to  let  everybody  freely  print  what 
they  like  of  my  writings.  I there- 
fore give  in  aid  of  the  sufferers  only 
what  I can  give : the  right  of  first 
publication.  . . . Do  not  send  me 
any  proofs,  or  else  I am  afraid  I 
shall  let  the  temptation  to  correct 
run  away  with  me,  and  shall  delay 
your  publication. 

“ Yasnaya  Polyana, 

“7  September,  o.s.,  1903.” 


With  reference  to  this  question 
of  Tolstoy’s  repudiation  of  all  rights 
in  his  publications  after  they  have 
once  been  published,  it  may  be  well 


17 


Introduction 


to  reproduce  what  I have  already 
said  in  the  Preface  to  the  “ Revised 
Edition  ” of  Sevastopol  and  Other 
Military  Tales. 

“Tolstoy  himself  wants  nothing 
for  his  works,  and,  when  the  Russian 
original  has  once  been  printed,  he  al- 
lows any  one  to  reprint  it,  translate  it, 
or  re-translate  it  into  any  language. 
The  translators  have,  of  course,  a 
right  to  their  own  versions ; and  in 
ho\v  far  they,  like  Tolstoy,  may  be 
prepared  to  forego  payment  or  pro- 
tection of  their  work,  is  a question 
of  conscience  which  will  be  decided 
variously,  according  to  the  needs, 
views,  and  circumstances  of  the  in- 
dividuals concerned.” 

i8 


Introduction 


The  present  translators,  having  in 
view  the  publication  of  a revised 
translation  of  Tolstoy’s  works  in 
English,  do  not  wish  to  abandon 
control  of  their  versions.  But  they 
will  devote  any  profits  that  may  ac- 
crue from  the  present  publication  to 
the  relief  of  the  suffering  Russian 
Jews. 

In  the  first  of  these  tales  Tolstoy 
has  used  the  names  of  real  people. 
Esarhaddon  (or  Assur-akhi-iddina)  is 
mentioned  three  times  in  the  Bible 
(2  Kings  xix.  37 ; Isa.  xxxvii.  38,  and 
Ezra  iv.  2),  and  is  also  alluded  to  in 
2 Chron.  xxxiii.  ii,as  “the  king  of 
Assyria,  which  took  Manasseh 
among  the  thorns,  and  bound  him 


19 


Introduction 


with  fetters,  and  carried  him  to 
Babylon.”  His  son  Assur-bani-pal, 
whom  he  promoted  to  power  before 
his  own  death,  is  once  mentioned  in 
the  Bible,  under  the  name  of  Asnap- 
per  (Ezra  iv.  lo).  Of  Lailie  history 
does  not  tell  us  much ; but  in  Ernest 
A.  Budge’s  History  of  Esarhaddon 
we  read;  “A  king,  called  Lailie, 
asked  that  the  gods  which  Esarhad- 
don had  captured  from  him  might  be 
restored.  His  request  was  granted, 
and  Esarhaddon  says,  ‘ I spoke  to 
him  of  brotherhood,  and  entrusted 
to  him  the  sovereignty  of  the  dis- 
trict of  Bazu.’  ” 

AYLMER  MAUDE. 


20 





PREFACE 

The  idea  of  the  tale  Esarhad- 
don.  King  of  Assyria  ^VS)  not 
my  own,  but  was  borrowed 
by  me  from  a tale  by  an  anonymous 
author,  printed  in  the  German  maga- 
zine Theosophischer  Wegweiser,  No. 
5,  1903,  and  entitled  Das  bist  Dti. 

With  reference  to  the  tale  Three 
Questions,  an  explanation  of  an  op- 
posite kind  is  needful.  There  is  a 
story  by  Leskdf  on  the  same  theme, 
and  it  might  be  supposed  that  I had 
borrowed  the  fundamental  thought 
from  him.  In  reality,  however,  it  is 
one  which  was  expressed  and  pub- 


21 


Preface 


lished  by  me  (in  the  Flower  Garden, 
published  by  the  Mediator)  fifteen 
years  ago.  It  pleased  Leskdf,  and 
he,  with  my  consent,  made  use  of  it. 

LEO  TOLSTOY. 

Yasnaya  Polyana, 

25  August,  1903. 


22 


ESARHADDON,  KING  OF 
ASSYRIA 

The  Assyrian  King  Esarhad- 
don  conquered  the  kingdom 
of  King  Lailie,  destroyed 
and  burnt  all  the  towns,  took  all  the 
inhabitants  captive  to  his  own  coun- 
try, slaughtered  the  warriors,  and 
kept  King  Lailie  himself  in  a cage. 

Lying  on  his  bed  at  night.  King 
Esarhaddon  thought  how  best  to 
execute  Lailie,  when  suddenly  he 
heard  a rustling  near  his  bed,  and, 
opening  his  eyes,  saw  an  old  man 
with  a long  gray  beard  and  mild 
eyes. 


23 


Esarhaddon 


“You  wish  to  execute  Lailie?” 
asked  the  old  man. 

“Yes,”  answered  the  king.  “ But 
I can  not  decide  how  to  execute 
him.” 

“ But  Lailie — is  yourself,”  said  the 
old  man. 

“ That’s  not  true,”  replied  the 
king.  “ I am  I,  and  Lailie  is 
Lailie.” 

“You  and  Lailie  are  one,”  said 
the  old  man.  “ It  only  seems  to  you 
that  you  are  not  Lailie,  and  that 
Lailie  is  not  you.” 

“ What  do  you  mean  by  ‘ it  only 
seems’.'*”  said  the  king.  “Here 
am  I,  lying  on  a soft  bed;  around 
me  are  obedient  men-slaves  and 


and  Other  Tales 


women-slaves,  and  to-morrow  I shall 
feast  with  my  friends  as  I did  to- 
day ; while  Lailie  will  sit  like  a bird 
in  a cage,  and  to-morrow  he  will  be 
impaled,  and  with  his  tongue  hang- 
ing out  will  wriggle  till  he  dies,  and 
his  body  will  be  torn  in  pieces  by 
dogs.” 

“You  can  not  destroy  his  life,” 
said  the  old  man. 

“And  how  about  the  fourteen 
thousand  warriors  I killed,  and  with 
whose  bodies  I built  a mound  ? ” 
said  the  king.  “ I am  alive,  but 
they  no  longer  exist:  that  shows 
that  I can  destroy  life.” 

“ How  do  you  know  they  no 
longer  exist.?  ” 


25 


Esarhaddon 


“ Because  I do  not  see  them. 
And  the  chief  thing  is,  that  they 
were  tormented,  but  I was  not.  It 
was  bad  for  them,  but  well  for 
me.” 

“ That,  also,  only  seems  so  to  you. 
You  tortured  yourself,  but  not 
them.” 

“ I do  not  understand,”  said  the 
king. 

“ Do  you  wish  to  understand?” 

“ Yes,  I do.” 

“ Then  come  here,”  said  the  old 
man,  pointing  to  a large  font  full  of 
water. 

The  king  rose  and  approached 
the  font. 

“ Strip,  and  enter  the  font.” 


26 


and  Other  Tales 


Esarhaddon  did  as  the  old  man 
bade  him. 

“ Now,  as  soon  as  I begin  to 
pour  this  water  over  you,”  said 
the  old  man,  scooping  up  water 
into  a jug,  “dip  your  head  under 
water.” 

The  old  man  tilted  the  jug  over 
the  king’s  head,  and  the  king  dipped 
his  head  under  water. 

And  as  soon  as  King  Esarhaddon 
dipped  under  water,  he  felt  that  he 
was  no  longer  Esarhaddon,  but 
some  one  else.  And,  feeling  him- 
self to  be  that  other  man,  he  saw 
himself  lying  on  a rich  bed,  beside 
a handsome  woman.  He  had  never 
seen  her  before,  but  he  knew  that 


27 


Esarhaddon 


she  was  his  wife.  The  woman 
raised  herself  and  said  to  him : 

“ Dear  husband  Lailie,  you  were 
wearied  by  yesterday’s  work,  and 
have  slept  longer  than  usual,  and 
I have  guarded  your  rest  and 
have  not  roused  you.  But  now 
the  princes  await  you  in  the 
Great  Hall.  Dress  and  go  out  to 
them.” 

And  Esarhaddon — understanding 
from  these  words  that  he  is  Lailie, 
and  not  feeling  at  all  surprised  at 
this,  but  only  wondering  that  he  did 
not  know  it  before — rises,  dresses, 
ar'd  goes  into  the  Great  Hall  where 
the  princes  await  him. 

The  princes  greet  their  King 


28 


and  Other  Tales 


Lailie,  bowing  to  the  ground,  and 
then  they  rise,  and  at  his  word  sit 
down  before  him ; and  the  eldest  of 
the  princes  begins  to  speak,  and 
says  that  it  is  impossible  longer  to 
endure  all  the  insults  of  the  wicked 
King  Esarhaddon,  and  that  they 
must  make  war  on  him.  . But  Lailie 
disagrees  with  him,  and  gives  orders 
that  envoys  shall  be  sent  to  Esar- 
haddon to  remonstrate  with  him; 
and  he  dismisses  the  princes  from 
the  audience.  Afterward  he  ap- 
points men  of  note  to  act  as  ambas- 
sadors, and  impresses  on  them  what 
they  are  to  say  to  King  Esarhad- 
don. Having  finished  this  busi- 
ness, Esarhaddon — feeling  that  he 


29 


Esarhaddon 


is  Lailie — rides  out  to  hunt  wild 
asses.  The  hunt  is  successful.  He 
kills  two  wild  asses  himself,  and, 
having  returned  home,  feasts  with 
his  friends,  and  watches  a dance  of 
slave  girls.  The  next  day  he  goes 
into  the  courtyard,  where  he  is 
awaited  by  petitioners,  suitors,  and 
prisoners  brought  for  trial ; and 
there  he  decides  the  cases  submitted 
to  him.  Having  finished  this  busi- 
ness, he  again  rides  out  for  his 
favorite  amusement,  hunting.  And 
again  he  is  successful:  this  time  per- 
sonally killing  an  old  lioness  and 
taking  her  two  cubs.  After  the 
hunt  he  again  feasts  with  his  friends, 
and  is  entertained  with  music  and 


30 


and  Other  Tales 


dances,  and  the  night  he  spends  with 
the  wife  he  loves. 

So  he  lives  for  days  and  weeks, 
awaiting  the  return  of  the  ambassa- 
dors he  had  sent  to  that  King  Esar- 
haddon — who  used  to  be  himself. 
The  ambassadors  only  return  after 
a month  has  passed,  and  they  return 
with  their  noses  and  ears  cut  off. 

King  Esarhaddon  had  ordered 
them  to  tell  Lailie  that  what  had 
been  done  to  them — his  ambassa- 
dors— would  be  done  to  him  also, 
unless  he  immediately  sent  a certain 
tribute  of  silver,  gold,  and  cypress- 
wood,  and  unless  he  came  himself 
to  make  obeisance  to  him. 

Lailie,  formerly  Esarhaddon, 


31 


Esarhaddon 


again  assembles  the  princes,  and 
consults  them  as  to  what  he  should 
do.  They  all,  with  one  accord,  say 
that  it  is  necessary  to  make  war 
against  Esarhaddon  without  waiting 
for  him  to  attack  them.  The  king 
agrees,  and,  taking  his  place  at  the 
head  of  the  army,  he  starts  on  the 
campaign.  The  campaign  lasts 
seven  days.  Each  day  the  king 
rides  round  the  army,  and  rouses 
the  courage  of  his  warriors.  On  the 
eighth  day  his  army  meets  Esarhad- 
don’s  army  in  a broad  valley,  by  the 
side  of  a river.  Lailie’s  army  fights 
bravely,  but  Lailie,  formerly  Esar- 
haddon, sees  that  the  enemy  swarm 
down  from  the  mountains  like  ants, 


32 


and  Other  Tales 


overrunning  the  valley  and  over- 
whelming his  army ; and  in  his  char- 
iot he  flings  himself  into  the  midst 
of  the  battle,  hewing  and  felling  the 
enemy.  But  the  warriors  of  Lailie 
are  but  as  hundreds,  while  those  of 
Esarhaddon  are  as  thousands ; and 
Lailie  feels  he  is  wounded,  and  that 
they  have  taken  him  prisoner.  Nine 
days  he  (with  other  captives)  travels, 
bound,  and  guarded  by  the  warriors 
of  Esarhaddon.  On  the  tenth  day 
he  is  brought  to  Nineveh  and  placed 
in  a cage.  Lailie  suffers  less  from 
hunger  and  from  his  wound  than 
from  shame  and  impotent  anger. 
He  feels  how  impotent  he  is  to 
avenge  himself  on  his  enemy  for  all 


33 


Esarhaddon 


that  he  suffers.  The  one  thing  he 
can  do  is  not  to  give  his  enemies  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  his  sufferings; 
and  he  firmly  resolves  to  endure 
courageously,  without  a murmur,  all 
they  can  do  to  him.  For  twenty 
days  he  sits  in  his  cage,  awaiting  ex- 
ecution. He  sees  his  relations  and 
friends  led  to  death ; he  hears  the 
groans  of  those  who  are  executed: 
some  have  their  hands  and  feet  cut 
off,  others  are  flayed  alive,  but  he 
shows  neither  disquietude,  nor  pity, 
nor  fear.  He  sees  the  wife  he  loved, 
bound,  and  led  away  by  eunuchs. 
He  knows  she  is  being  taken  as  a 
slave  to  Esarhaddon.  And  he  bears 
that,  too,  without  a murmur.  But 


34 


and  Other  Tales 


now  two  executioners  open  his  cage 
door,  and  having  strapped  his  arms 
tight  behind  him,  lead  him  to  the 
place  of  execution,  which  is  soaked 
with  blood.  Lailie  sees  a sharp 
stake  dripping  with  blood,  from 
which  the  corpse  of  one  of  his 
friends  has  just  been  torn,  and  he 
understands  that  this  has  been  done 
that  the  stake  may  serve  for  his  own 
execution.  They  strip  Lailie  of  his 
clothes.  He  is  startled  at  the  lean- 
ness of  his  once  strong,  handsome 
body.  The  two  executioners  seize 
that  body  by  its  lean  thighs ; they 
lift  him  up  and  are  about  to  let  him 
fall  upon  the  stake. 

“ This  is  death,  destruction  ! ” 


35 


Esarhaddon 


thinks  Lailie,  and,  forgetful  of  his 
decision  to  remain  bravely  calm  to 
the  end,  he  sobs  and  prays  for 
mercy.  But  no  one  listens  to  him, 

“ But  this  can  not  be,”  thinks  he. 
“ Surely  I am  asleep.  It  is  a 
dream.”  And  he  makes  an  effort 
to  rouse  himself.  “ Surely  I am  not 
Lailie,  but  Esarhaddon.” 

“You  are  indeed  Lailie  and  also 
Esarhaddon,”  declares  a voice,  and 
he  feels  that  his  execution  has  be- 
gun. He  cries  out,  and  at  the  same 
moment  lifts  his  head  out  of  the 
font.  . . . The  old  man  stands  over 
him,  pouring  on  to  his  head  the  last 
drops  from  the  jug. 

“ Oh,  how  terribly  I have  suf- 


36 


and  Other  Tales 


fered,  and  for  how  long!”  said 
Esarhaddon. 

“Long?”  replied  the  old  man; 
“you  have  only  dipped  your  head 
under  water  and  lifted  it  again ; see, 
the  water  is  not  yet  all  out  of  the 
jug.  Have  you  now  understood?  ” 

Esarhaddon  did  not  reply,  but 
only  looked  at  the  old  man  with 
terror. 

“ Have  you  now  understood,” 
continued  the  old  man,  “ that  Lailie 
is  you,  and  the  warriors  you  put  to 
death  were  you  also?  And  not  the 
warriors  only,  but  the  animals  you 
slew  when  hunting  and  ate  at  your 
feasts  were  also  you.  You  thought 
life  dwelt  in  you  alone,  but  I have 


37 


Esarhaddon 


drawn  aside  the  veil  of  the  delusion, 
and  have  let  you  see  that  by  doing 
evil  to  others  you  have  done  it  to 
yourself  also.  Life  is  one  in  them 
all,  and  you  have  in  yourself  but  a 
portion  of  this  common  life.  And 
only  in  that  one  part  of  life  that  is 
in  you  can  you  make  life  better  or 
worse — can  you  increase  or  decrease 
^iL  You  can  only  improve  life  in 
yourself  by  destroying  the  barriers 
! that  divide  your  life  from  that  of 
others,  and  by  considering  others  as 
yourself,  and  loving  them.  To  de- 
stroy the  life  that  dwells  in  others  is 
beyond  your  power.  The  life  of 
those  you  have  slain  has  vanished 
from  your  eyes,  but  is  not  destroyed. 
38 


and  Other  Tales 


You  thought  to  lengthen  your  own 
life  and  to  shorten  theirs,  but  you 
can  not  do  this.  Life  knows  neither 
time  nor  space.  The  life  of  -a  mo- 
ment, and  the  life  of  a thousand 
years,  your  life,  and  the  life  of  all 
the  visible  and  invisible  beings  in 
the  world,  are  equal.  To  destroy 
life,  or  to  alter  it,  is  impossible ; for 
e life  is  the  one  thing  that  exists.  All 
else  but  seems  to  us  to  be.” 

Having  said  this  the  old  man  van- 
ished. 

Next  morning  King  Esarhaddon 
gave  orders  that  Lailie  and  all  the 
prisoners  should  be  set  at  liberty, 
and  that  the  executions  should 


cease. 


Esarhaddon 


On  the  third  day  he  called  his  son 
Assur-bani-pal,  and  gave  the  king- 
dom over  into  his  hands;  and  he 
himself  went  into  the  desert  to  think 
over  what  he  had  learnt.  After- 
ward he  began  to  go  about  as  a 
wanderer  through  the  towns  and 
villages,  preaching  to  the  people 
that  all  life  is  one,  and  that  men 
only  harm  themselves  when  they 
wish  to  do  evil  to  others. 


40 


WORK.  DEATH,  AND 
SICKNESS 

This  is  a legend  current 
among  the  South  American 
Indians. 

God,  say  they,  at  first  made  men 
so  that  they  had  no  need  to  work : 
they  wanted  neither  houses,  nor 
clothes,  nor  food,  and  they  all  lived 
till  they  were  a hundred,  and  did  not 
know  what  illness  was. 

When,  after  some  time,  God 
looked  to  see  how  people  were  liv- 
ing, he  saw  that,  instead  of  being 
happy  in  their  life,  they  had  quar- 
reled with  one  another,  and,  each 


41 


Esarhaddon 


caring  for  himself,  had  brought 
matters  to  such  a pass  that  far  from 
enjoying  life  they  cursed  it. 

Then  God  said  to  himself, 
“ This  comes  of  their  living  sepa- 
rately, each  for  himself.”  And  to 
change  this  state  of  things,  God  so 
arranged  matters  that  it  became  im- 
possible for  people  to  live  without 
working.  To  avoid  suffering  from 
cold  and  hunger,  they  were  now 
obliged  to  build  dwellings,  and  to 
dig  the  ground,  and  to  grow  and 
gather  fruits  and  grain. 

“ W ork  will  bring  them  together,” 
thought  God.  “ They  can  not  make 
their  tools,  and  sow  and  gather  their 
harvests,  and  spin  and  weave,  and 
(^42 


and  Other  Tales 


make  their  clothes,  each  one  by 
himself. 

“ It  will  make  them  understand 
that  the  more  heartily  they  work  to- 
gether the  more  they  will  obtain, 
and  the  better  they  will  live ; and 
this  will  unite  them.” 

Time  passed  on,  and  again  God 
came  to  see  how  men  were  living, 
and  whether  they  were  now  happy. 

But  he  found  them  living  worse 
than  before.  They  worked  together 
(that  they  could  not  help),  but  not 
all  together,  having  broken  up  into 
little  groups.  And  each  group  tried 
to  snatch  work  from  another  group, 
and  they  hindered  one  another, 
wasting  time  and  strength  in  their 


Esarhaddon 


struggles,  so  that  things  went  ill 
with  them  all. 

Having  seen  that  this,  too,  was 
not  well,  God  decided  so  to  arrange 
things  that  man  should  not  know 
the  time  of  his  death,  but  might  die 
at  any  moment ; and  he  announced 
this  to  them. 

f “ Knowing  that  each  of  them  may 
die  at  any  moment,”  thought  God, 
“ they  will  not,  by  grasping  at  gains 
in  a life  that  may  end  so  soon,  spoil 
the  hours  of  life  that  are  allotted  to 
them.” 

But  it  turned  out  othenvise. 
When  God  returned  to  see  how 
people  were  living,  he  saw  that 
their  life  was  as  bad  as  ever. 


44 


and  Other  Tales 


Those  who  were  strongest,  avail- 
ing themselves  of  the  fact  that  men 
might  die  at  any  time,  subdued 
those  who  were  weaker,  killing  some 
and  threatening  others.  And  it 
came  about  that  only  the  strongest 
and  their  descendants  did  no  work, 
and  suffered  from  the  weariness  of 
idleness,  while  those  who  were 
weaker  had  to  work  beyond  their 
strength,  and  suffered  from  lack  of 
rest.  Each  set  of  men  feared  and 
hated  the  other.  And  the  life  of 
man  became  yet  more  unhappy. 

Having  seen  all  this,  God,  to 
mend  matters,  decided  to  make  use 
of  one  last  means ; he  sent  sickness 
of  all  kinds  among  men.  God 


45 


Esarhaddon 


thought  that  when  all  men  were  ex- 
posed to  sickness  they  would  under- 
stand that  those  who  are  well  should 
have  pity  on  those  who  are  sick, 
and  should  help  them,  that  when 
they  themselves  fall  ill,  those  who 
are  well  may  in  turn  help  them. 

And  again  God  went  away,  but 
when  he  came  back  to  see  how 
men  lived  now  that  they  were  sub- 
ject to  sicknesses,  he  saw  that  their 
life  was  worse  even  than  before. 
The  very  sickness  that  in  God’s 
purpose  should  have  united  men, 
had  divided  them  more  than  ever. 
Those  men  who  were  strong  enough 
to  make  others  work,  forced  them 
also  to  attend  to  them  in  times  of 

46 


and  Other  Tales 


sickness,  but  did  not,  in  their  turn, 
look  after  other  sick  people.  And 
those  who  were  forced  to  work  for 
others  and  to  look  after  the  sick, 
were  so  worn  out  with  work  that 
they  had  no  time  to  look  after  their 
own  sick,  but  left  them  without  at- 
tendance. Moreover,  people  con- 
sidered many  of  the  illnesses  infec- 
tious, and,  fearing  to  catch  them, 
they  not  only  did  not  draw  nearer 
to  the  sick,  but  even  separated 
themselves  from  those  who  attended 
the  sick. 

Then  God  said  to  himself : “ If 
even  this  means  will  not  bring  men 
to  understand  wherein  their  happi- 
ness lies,  let  them  be  brought  to  it 


47 


Esarhaddoii 


J/hy  their  sufferings.”  And  God  left 
men  to  themselves. 

And,  left  to  themselves,  men  lived 
long  before  they  understood  that 
they  could  and  should  be  happy. 
Only  in  the  very  latest  times  a few 
of  them  have  begun  to  understand 
that  work  ought  not  to  be  a bugbear 
for  some  and  like  galley-slaver}^ 
for  others,  but  should  be  a common 
and  happy  occupation,  uniting  all 
men.  They  have  begun  to  under- 
stand, that,  with  death  constantly 
threatening  each  of  us,  the  only  rea- 
sonable business  of  every  man  is  to 
spend  the  years,  months,  hours,  and 
minutes  allotted  him  in  unity  and 
love.  They  have  begun  to  under- 
48 


and  Other  Tales 


stand  that  sickness,  far  from  divid- 
ing men,  should,  on  the  contrary, 
give  opportunity  for  loving  union 
with  one  another. 


WT^WTr'>rT^>^Tr'WTr'>fTr'»?Tr’»r' 


THREE  QUESTIONS 

IT  once  occurred  to  a certain 
king,  that,  if  he  always  knew 
the  right  time  to  begin  ever}- 
thing,  if  he  knew  who  were  the 
right  people  to  attend  to  and  whom 
to  avoid,  and,  above  all,  if  he  al- 
ways knew  what  was  the  most  im- 
portant thing  to  do,  he  would  never 
fail  in  any  of  his  undertakings. 

And  this  thought  having  occur- 
red to  him,  he  had  it  proclaimed 
throughout  his  dominions  that  he 
would  give  a great  reward  to  any 
one  who  would  teach  him  how  to 
know  the  right  time  for  eveiy^  action. 


50 


Esarhaddon  and  Other  Tales 


and  who  were  the  most  necessary 
people,  and  how  to  be  sure  what 
was  the  most  important  thing  to  do. 

And  learned  men  came  to  the 
king,  but  they  all  gave  different  an- 
swers to  his  questions. 

In  reply  to  the  first  question, 
some  said  that,  to  know  the  right 
time  for  every  action,  one  must 
draw  up,  in  advance,  a table  of  the 
days,  months,  and  years  — and 
strictly  follow  this  table.  Only 
thus,  said  they,  could  everything  be 
done  at  its  proper  time.  Others 
declared  that  ’ it  was  impossible  to 
decide  beforehand  the  right  time  for 
every  action;  but,  not  letting  one- 
self be  absorbed  in  idle  pastimes. 


51 


Esarhaddon 


one  should  always  attend  to  all  that 
goes  on,  and  then  do  what  is  most 
needful.  Others,  again,  said  that, 
however  attentive  the  king  might 
be  to  what  was  going  on,  it  was  im- 
possible for  one  man  to  decide  cor- 
rectly the  right  time  for  ever)^ 
action,  but  that  he  should  have  a 
council  of  wise  men,  who  would 
help  him  to  fix  the  proper  time  for 
everything. 

But  then,  again,  others  said, 
there  were  some  things  which  could 
not  wait  to  be  laid  before  a council, 
but  about  which  one  had  to  decide 
at  once  whether  to  undertake  them 
or  not.  But  to  decide  thus,  one 
must  know  beforehand  what  is  go- 


52 


and  Other  Tales 


ing  to  happen.  Only  magicians 
could  know  that;  and,  therefore,  in 
order  to  know  the  right  time  for 
every  action,  one  must  consult  the 
magicians. 

Equally  various  were  the  answers 
to  the  second  question.  Some  said, 
the  people  the  king  most  needed 
were  his  councilors;  others,  that 
those  most  needed  were  the  priests ; 
others,  that  he  needed  the  doctors 
most;  while  some  said  that  the  war- 
riors were  the  most  necessary. 

To  the  third  question,  as  to  what 
was  the  most  important  occupation, 
some  replied  that  the  most  impor- 
tant thing  in  the  world  was  science. 
Others  said  it  was  skill  in  warfare, 


53 


Esarhaddon 


and  others  again,  that  it  was  relig- 
ious worship. 

All  the  answers  being  different, 
the  king  agreed  with  none  of  them, 
and  gave  the  reward  to  no  one. 
But,  in  order  to  find  the  right  an- 
swers to  his  questions,  he  decided 
to  consult  a hermit  widely  renowned 
for  his  wisdom. 

The  hermit  lived  in  a wood,  never 
went  out  anywhere,  and  received 
only  common  folk.  So  the  king 
put  on  simple  clothes,  and,  before 
reaching  the  hermit’s  cell,  dis- 
mounted from  his  horse,  and,  leav- 
ing his  bodyguard  behind,  went  on 
alone. 

When  the  king  approached,  the 


54 


and  Other  Tales 


hermit  was  digging  some  beds  in 
front  of  his  hut.  Seeing  the  king, 
he  greeted  him  and  went  on  digging. 
The  hermit  was  thin  and  weak,  and 
each  time  he  stuck  his  spade  into 
the  ground  and  turned  a little  earth, 
he  breathed  heavily. 

The  king  went  up  to  him  and 
said; 

“ I have  come  to  you,  wise  her- 
mit, to  ask  you  to  answer  me  three 
questions:  What  time  must  one  use 
and  not  neglect,  lest  one  repent  it.? 
Who  are  the  people  one  most  needs, 
and,  therefore,  to  whom  should  one 
pay  most  attention.?  and.  What 
affairs  are  the  most  important,  and 
should  be  first  attended  to .?  ” 


55 


Esarhaddon 


The  hermit  listened  to  the  king, 
but  answered  nothing;  he  just  spat 
on  his  hand  and  recommenced  dig- 
ging. 

“You  are  tired,”  said  the  king; 
“let  me  have  the  spade:  I’ll  work 
awhile  for  you.” 

“ Thanks ! ” said  the  hermit,  and 
giving  the  spade  to  the  king,  he  sat 
down  on  the  ground. 

When  he  had  dug  two  beds,  the 
king  stopped  and  repeated  his  ques- 
tions. The  hermit  again  gave  no 
answer,  but  rose,  stretched  out  his 
hand  for  the  spade,  and  said : 

“ Now  rest  awhile.  Let  me  work 
a bit.” 

But  the  king  did  not  give  him 


56 


and  Other  Tales 


the  spade,  and  continued  digging. 
One  hour  passed,  and  another.  The 
sun  began  to  sink  behind  the  trees, 
and  the  king  at  last  struck  his  spade 
into  the  ground  and  said : 

“ I came  to  you,  wise  man,  for  an 
answer  to  my  questions.  If  you  can 
give  me  none,  tell  me  so,  and  I will 
go  home.” 

“ Here  comes  some  one  running,” 
said  the  hermit ; “ let  us  see  who  it 

• M 

IS. 

The  king  turned  round,  and  saw 
a bearded  man  come  running  out  of 
the  wood.  The  man  held  his  stom- 
ach with  his  hands,  and  blood  was 
flowing  from  under  them.  When 
he  reached  the  king,  the  runner 


57 


Esarhaddon 


fell  fainting  on  the  ground  and 
only  moaned  feebly.  The  king  and 
the  hermit  unfastened  the  man’s 
clothing.  There  was  a large  wound 
in  his  stomach.  The  king  washed 
it  as  best  he  could,  and  bandaged  it 
with  his  handkerchief  and  with  the 
hermit’s  towel.  But  the  blood 
would  not  stop  flowing,  and  the 
king  again  and  again  removed  the 
bandage  soaked  with  warm  blood, 
and  washed  and  rebandaged  the 
wound.  When  at  last  the  blood 
ceased  to  flow,  the  man  revived  and 
asked  for  something  to  drink.  The 
king  brought  fresh  water  and  gave 
it  to  him.  Meanwhile  the  sun  had 
quite  set,,  and  it  grew  cool.  So  the 


58 


and  Other  Tales 


king,  with  the  hermit’s  help,  carried 
the  wounded  man  into  the  hut  and 
laid  him  on  the  bed.  Lying  on  the 
bed  the  man  closed  his  eyes  and  was 
quiet;  but  the  king  was  so  tired 
with  his  walk  and  with  the  work  he 
had  done  that  he  crouched  down 
on  the  threshold,  and  also  fell  asleep 
— so  soundly  that  he  slept  all 
through  the  short  summer  night. 
When  he  awoke  in  the  morning,  it 
was  long  before  he  could  make  out 
where  he  was,  or  who  was  that 
strange  bearded  man  lying  on  the 
bed  and  gazing  intently  at  him  with 
glittering  eyes. 

“ Forgive  me ! ” said  the  bearded 
man  in  a weak  voice,  when  he  saw 


59 


Esarhaddon 


that  the  king  was  awake  and  look- 
ing at  him. 

“ I do  not  know  you,  and  have 
nothing  to  forgive  you  for,”  said  the 
king. 

“You  do  not  know  me,  but  I 
know  you.  I am  that  enemy  of 
yours  who  swore  to  revenge  himself 
on  you,  because  you  executed  my 
brother  and  seized  my  property.  I 
knew  you  had  gone  alone  to  see  the 
hermit,  and  I resolved  to  kill  you  on 
your  way  back.  But  the  day  passed 
and  you  did  not  return.  So  I came 
out  from  my  ambush  to  discover 
where  you  were,  and  I came  upon 
your  bodyguard,  and  they  recog- 
nized me  and  wounded  me.  I ran 


6o 


and  Other  Tales 


away  from  them,  but  I should  have 
bled  to  death  had  you  not  dressed 
my  wound.  I wished  to  kill  you, 
and  you  have  saved  my  life.  Now, 
if  I live,  and  if  you  wish  it,  I will 
serve  you  as  your  most  faithful 
slave,  and  will  bid  my  sons  do  the 
same.  Forgive  me ! ” 

The  king  was  very  glad  to  have 
made  peace  with  his  enemy  so  easily, 
and  not  only  forgave  him,  but  said 
he  would  send  his  servants  and  his 
own  physician  to  attend  him,  and 
promised  to  restore  his  property. 

Having  taken  leave  of  the 
wounded  man,  the  king  went  out 
into  the  porch  and  looked  round  for 
the  hermit.  Before  going  away  he 


Esarkaddou 


wished  once  more  to  ask  for  an  an- 
swer to  the  questions  he  had  put. 
The  hermit  was  outside,  on  his 
knees,  sowing  vegetable  seeds  in  the 
beds  that  had  been  dug  before. 

The  king  approached  him,  and 
said; 

“ For  the  last  time,  I beg  you  to 
answer  my  questions,  wise  man.” 

“ Why,  you  have  been  answered,” 
said  the  hermit,  crouching  on  his 
thin  legs  and  looking  up  at  the 
king,  who  stood  before  him. 

“Answered?  What  do  you 
mean?”  asked  the  king. 

“ Why,  of  course,”  replied  the 
hermit,  “ if  you  had  not  pitied  my 
weakness  yesterday  and  dug  these 


62 


and  Other  Tales 


beds  for  me,  but  had  gone  back 
alone,  that  man  would  have  at- 
tacked you,  and  you  would  have 
repented  of  not  having  stayed  with 
me.  So  the  most  important  time 
was  when  you  were  digging  the 
beds;  and  I was  the  most  impor- 
tant man ; and  to  do  me  good 
was  your  most  important  business. 
Afterward,  when  that  man  ran  to 
us,  the  most  important  time  was 
when  you  were  attending  to  him,  for 
if  you  had  not  bound  up  his  wounds 
he  would  have  died  without  having 
made  peace  with  you.  So  he  was 
the  most  important  man,  and  what 
you  did  for  him  was  your  most  im- 
portant business.  Remember  then ; 

63 


Esarhaddo7i  and  Other  Tales 


there  is  only  one  time  that  is  impor- 
tant— now.  It  is  the  most  impor- 
tant time,  because  it  is  the  only  time 
when  we  have  any  power.  The 
most  necessary  man  is  he  with  whom 
you  are,  for  no  man  knows  whether 
he  will  ever  have  dealings  with  any 
one  else:  and  the  most  important 
affair  is,  to  do  him  good,  because  for 
that  purpose  alone  was  man  sent 
into  this  life.” 

LEO  TOLSTOY. 

Yasnaya  Polyana, 

19  August,  O.S.,  1903. 


£ 


Duke  University  Libraries 


D008 13911 


N 


891.73  T654E  65949 


9 


